Improvement in district-telegraph signal-boxes



UMD STATES coun H. o. wArrhs, `or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Y IMPROVEMENT IN DISTRICT-TEL-EGRAPH SIGNAL-Boxes) Speciwon forming pm "f Letters Patent NO- 181.383'. dated Augusnaa i876; application inea i y June 8, 1676. i

` certain new and useful Improvements in District-Telegraph Signal-Boxes; and I do here- 'by declare that the following is a full, clear,

and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked'thereon, which form a part of this specification.

In operating that class of signal-boxes in which the character of the service wanted by the sender is determined by thenumber of times the signal is repeated, which,.in turn, is determined by the distance the crank winding the spring of the box is turned, mistakes often occur by the crank being thrown to too great a distance, owing to the hurry or earelessness of the operator. The great majority of the calls are 4for Messenger,.7 and consequently the smallest movement of the crank is used for that signal. Garelessly or hurriedly the crank is often vturned too far, summoning Police or Fire. One object of my invention is to prevent this by arranging in the box a stop which shall normally allow the crank to be turned to signal Messenger only, and which must be operated to allow the crank to beturned for either of the other signals, thus normally guarding against either being called unless they are actually desired, and insuring that attention to the operation of the crank which is necessary to intelligently summon the officers of the company.

, In addition, as such boxes are ordinarily made, they consist of two metallic parts, ordinarily cast, rendering necessary thel use oi' many pieces of some insulating material,which are small and liable to become misplaced, the which happening to them might derange that box, and perhaps the entire circuit. Moreover, such boxes are more expensive than is desirable when they are made ornamental, as is desired from their conspicuous position in o dwellings, counting-houses, offices, te.

v mon a messenger.

:PATENT FFCEF which may be plated or etched, as desired, and an insulating-base, upon which the operative parts are mounted.-

Having thus generally designated the nature of my invention,I will describe the same in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front View of the case of my box, and Fig. 2 a front View of the operative parts, the case being removed 5 andv Fig. 3, a section on line x 0c, Fig. 2.

B is an insulating-base, upon which is mounted the ease A, inelosing and protecting the operative parts of the box. Posts b b pass from` one to the other, uniting them firmly by means of screws or other equivalent fastening devices. On this base B is mounted the ordinary signal mechanism, consisting of a brakewheelG, having its periphery properly fashioned to give a determinate signal, and actuated by means of clock-work and a spring, as shown, the spring being Wound, through the medium of a crank, E, on a winding-shaft, D, as usual. On the lsame shaft D is a hooked arm, G, which normally takes against a stud or arm, H, in the box, short-circuiting the brake-wheel and spring G and e by completing a circuit, c l 2 H, clock-work 3 d. Whenever the crank is moved to operate the box this arm moves with it and breaks the short circuit, compelling the current to flow over the circuit c l e G 3 d, in order that the necessary interruptions inay be given.

Axed to the top of the case ou the under side is a pivoted lever, K, normally held away at one end from the box by a spring, a.' At its other end a button, F, projects through the front of the case, the depression of which pushes the other end of the lever up toward the box against the force of the spring a. The outer end i ot' this lever is arranged as shown, so that normally the arm G shall take against v the same, the revolution of the crank being thereby stopped. Its position in relation thereto is such that the crank may at all times be turned suflieiently far, and only so far, to sunl- If it be desired to signal any other call, the button F must loe depressed by one hand until the crank be turned a little beyond Messenger. It may then be turned to either of the other signals. This eeetuallypreyenlts ,any careless unintentional trans-` missionof thePolce on 4FirePsxgna1s, and, n

when either is desired, insures that attention which enables the operator to signal withuceri tainty for that one which is desired.

Having thus deSfriP-efilmy; inwetipsmhat I claim is- 1. The combination, with the operative portion of a signal-box,` otffa;step,arrangedysnrb stantiaily as deseribedf a1l0wiug`the" crank to be turned at all tiuies for one class of signals,

but locking" its .furtheroperation to send ,othen n classes of signalsuntil it be operated to 1'e the pnrposei set forth;

2. The alarm-signal box composed of qaninsulatingzbase and a spun or struck-up sheet-` metal case or cover, substantially as and for :th eL pnrppse, set Yforth In te timony that fclim ne foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of WwiwesseS-t JOHN H. C. WATTS.

Witnesses:

ALFRED E.WA11, OLIVER H. HICKS. 

